I am so sorry that I took so long with this.
I was trying to do NaNo and so I didn't really feel that I do both.
Long story short I fell way behind and for mine and others sanity I gave up on NaNo.
Then I needed to think about some things before I continued too much
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rachel and I watched in confusion as the two Hork-Bajir fled the entrance to the Yeerk Pool. It made zero sense that they were running away.
Out of the hole about a dozen ATVs appeared and after a few moments followed after the pair of Hork-Bajir.
I could see both Dracon Beams and regular Earth weapons on them.
/They seem to be running away and the Controllers on the ATVs seem to be chasing them./ I said, stating what had to be the obvious.
/We should help them./ Rachel said.
I would have smiled if I was human.
/The enemy of my enemy is my friend./ I stated.
/Let's do it!/ Rachel said as we flew towards the Hork-Bajir.
/Hey you two, you have several Controllers coming your way!/ I told them through thought-speech.
They stumbled but continued to run.
/Need to go right to avoid them./ I told them.
They hesitated and I knew that I would have to guide them. I hadn't believed Arbron when he had told us that without the Yeerks in their head that the Hork-Bajir people were innocent and had simple minds. But this just went to show that Arbron had been right.
But they did go to the right and continued to run.
The Controllers fired their weapons at the pair of fleeing Hork-Bajir and missed.
/Tobias they might need more help than what we are giving them./ Rachel said and I had to agree with her. They must not completely understand so they would need a guide.
/Rachel stay up here and alert me of the movement of the Controllers./ I told her as I prepared to dive into the trees.
/Hey we are going to play a game./ I told the Hork-Bajir. /Follow the bird with the red./
The flight was nerve wrecking. I had to be so careful; one wrong move could either lead to my death or injury.
/Tobias, there's a chopper heading our way and you're coming up on an access road. There's Controllers on it with trucks./ Rachel reported.
/Hey, we need to go a little fast if we are to escape./ I told the two aliens that were following me.
An idea occurred to me. If they could swim they could escape.
/Hey, if you can swim slice that sapling coming up./ I told them.
The sapling was cut in half and I felt hope. There was a stream not too far away on the other side of the access road that we could use to help them escape.
We reached the road and I noted the trucks coming up fast
My heart would have been in my throat as I saw a truck move to cut them off.
The first Hork-Bajir just jumped over the truck while the second one Hork-Bajir, which had been slowing down for the past few minutes, tried to jump only to get sideswiped.'
The second Hork-Bajir was thrown a few feet and didn't move.
The trucks fishtailed in their hurry to stop.
The first Hork-Bajir paused and raced back to the second one.
"My kalashi!" it wailed at the second Hork-Bajir's side. "My wife!"
/You need to get out of there!/ I yelled as Controllers started to get out of the cabs of the trucks.
The Hork-Bajir looked at them before it-no- he raced for the woods.
It didn't take long to reach the stream and the Hork-Bajir disappeared under the surface.
/Wife, he said wife./ Rachel said after a few moments.
/He did./ I agreed.
xxxxxxx
About an hour later Rachel and I were in Cassie's Barn with our fellow Animorphs.
Rachel and I had led the Hork-Bajir in a cave and then we informed Arbron of the situation and he decided that we needed to discuss in earnest.
"Hork-Bajir have both males and females?" Marco asked, surprised.
"Of course Hork-Bajir have both males and females." Anjinnl answered. "All sentient or semi sentient species are either male or female. Only plants and a few "lesser" life forms are either asexual or have both male and female parts that can be brought out by chemical changes."
"Do you think that this is a trap?" Cassie asked. "I mean from Tobias and Rachel's story the Controllers gave chase and seemed to be willing to kill them."
Arbron tapped his human morph's fingers on bench.
"We will have to ask him and see what we can learn." Arbron said after a few moments.
"I have several questions." Marco said. "Do the females like to watch chick flicks or do the melt when they see a baby and do they scream when they see snakes and bugs?"
"'Scream when they see snakes and bugs?'" Cassie asked as she casually opened a drawer, reached and then tossed something at Marco.
Marco cried out in panic and jumped away as a harmless garter snake nearly fell on him.
"Get it away from me!" Marco yelped.
A few of us laughed as Cassie collected the snake and returned it to the drawer.
"Now that we are done acting like little children we need to go and speak to our friend in the cave." Arbron said; bringing us back to the matter at hand.
xxxxxxxx
We headed to the cave as a group all of us except Anjinnl, Aximili and Arbron were in morph. We had to make sure that it wasn't a trap.
Arbron was confidante that it wasn't but you could never be too careful.
Rachel was in her Bald Eagle morph. Cassie was an owl. Marco was in his gorilla morph. Jake was a tiger and I was in my hawk morph since the Hork-Bajir knew me as a bird.
I landed on a branch and waited for everyone to get ready.
/Hey,/ I called out to the Hork-Bajir in the cave. / I'm back and I brought friends./
I watched as he carefully started to move through the trees, fallen branches and brambles.
He stopped once he caught sight of Arbron, Anjinnl and Aximili.
There was a staring contest for about a minute.
"Andalites," he breathed sounding both nervous and angry.
/We heard that you escaped and wished to know if it is true./ Anjinnl stated.
"I have my own head; Jara Hamee alone in his head." The Hork-Bajir, Jara Hamee, declared.
He then did something that shocked all of us. He swiped one of his wrist blades at his head and a nasty looking gash opened.
/Gross!/ Marco groaned.
We watched in shock as Jara Hamee pulled part of it away to reveal what had to be his brain. I didn't see anything and then Jara Hamee pushed the wound back together and it scabbed over quite fast.
/You are alone./ Arbron awknowledged.
/Um, everyone,/ Cassie said. /It appears that Controllers are sort of heading our way./
/Yeah, they even have a Hork-Bajir with them./ Rachel reported.
/But it's still pretty light out./ Marco said.
/They must really want him back./ Arbron mused.
/What if one of us morphed into him and led the Yeerks away?/ I asked.
/That could work./ Arbron said. /There will be risks but it would be a good way to help get Jara Hamee to safety.
/I will do it./ I said.
There was some silence as Arbron mulled it over.
/Are you sure Tobias?/ he asked.
/I am sure besides I always wanted to be a weed whacker./ I answered.
/I will follow by air then./ Arbron stated.
xxxxxxxxxxx
I purposely had Tobias morph into Jara Hamee for personal reasons.
Don't you all hate it when someone reminds/brings to your attention just how much this or that bothers you?